Eric Staal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eric Staal
Staal with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013
Born	(1984-10-29) October 29, 1984 (age 40) Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Carolina Hurricanes New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Florida Panthers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	2nd overall, 2003 Carolina Hurricanes
Playing career	2003–2023

Eric Craig Staal (born October 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a centre and played for eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Eric played for teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers.

Eric is the oldest of the famous Staal brothers. His brothers, Marc, Jordan, and Jared, also played professional hockey. Eric is part of the Triple Gold Club. This means he has won the Stanley Cup (with the Hurricanes in 2006), the World Championships (in 2007), and an Olympic gold medal (in 2010) with Team Canada.

Early Life

Eric Staal was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Henry and Linda Staal, were sod farmers. His grandparents were Dutch immigrants.

Eric started playing hockey when he was four years old. He and his three younger brothers played on a home ice rink. He also learned to use farming tools. Growing up, his favorite hockey players were Joe Sakic and Wayne Gretzky. Eric chose his jersey number, 12, because his father wore it when he played hockey.

Playing Career

Starting Out in Hockey

Staal played minor hockey in Thunder Bay. He played for the Thunder Bay Kings team. In the 1999–2000 season, his Bantam team won an All-Ontario Championship.

After that season, Staal was picked 13th overall in the 2000 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft by the Peterborough Petes. Even his father thought he might not be ready for the OHL. But Eric did well, scoring 49 points in 63 games in his first season. The next season, he scored even more, with 62 points.

In the year he was eligible for the NHL draft, Staal was the top scorer for the Petes. He had 39 goals and 98 points. He was also named to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) First All-Star Team.

Professional Hockey

Carolina Hurricanes (2003–2016)

The Carolina Hurricanes picked Staal second overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He started playing in the NHL right after being drafted. In 2004, Staal played in the YoungStars Game. This was part of the 2004 NHL All-Star festivities.

The 2004–05 NHL season was canceled because of a lockout. So, Staal played for the Hurricanes' minor league team, the Lowell Lock Monsters. He set new team records for points (77) and assists (51). He was also chosen for the AHL All-Star Classic.

Staal with the Hurricanes in 2011.

In the 2005–06 season, Staal had a fantastic year. He scored 100 points during the regular season. He was named NHL Offensive Player of the Week in October 2005. That same week, he scored his first career hat-trick (three goals in one game). He then led the Hurricanes in points during the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs. They won the Stanley Cup that year! After the season, Staal was one of the top players considered for the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is given to the NHL's most valuable player (MVP).

On July 1, 2006, Staal signed a three-year contract extension with the Hurricanes. He made his first All-Star Game appearance in 2007.

On January 27, 2008, at the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, Staal scored two goals and had an assist. He was also named the MVP of the event.

On September 11, 2008, Staal signed a big seven-year contract extension with the Hurricanes. This contract started in the 2009–10 season.

On April 28, 2009, Staal scored the winning goal with only 31.7 seconds left in Game 7 of the 2009 playoffs. This helped the Hurricanes make an amazing comeback against the New Jersey Devils. This win was even nicknamed “Shock at the Rock.” The Hurricanes made it to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On May 8, 2009, Staal scored two goals. This gave him 40 career playoff points, breaking the team record held by Ron Francis.

Staal warming up for the Hurricanes in 2013.

On January 20, 2010, Staal was named team captain. He was the fifth captain since the team moved to Raleigh, North Carolina.

On January 18, 2011, Staal was named one of two team captains for the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. This game was held in Raleigh, the Hurricanes' home city.

New York Rangers (2016)

On February 28, 2016, Staal was traded to the New York Rangers. He joined his brother Marc in New York. He played 20 regular season games for the Rangers.

Minnesota Wild (2016–2020)

After leaving the Rangers, Staal signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild on July 1, 2016. In his first season with the Wild, Staal scored 28 goals and had 65 points.

The 2017–18 season was special for Staal. He played his 1,000th NHL game on March 19, 2017. He was also invited to his fifth NHL All-Star Game. Staal finished the season with 42 goals. This was his first time scoring more than 40 goals since 2008–09.

On February 25, 2019, Staal signed a two-year contract extension with the Wild. On December 15, 2019, Staal reached a huge milestone: he became the 89th player in NHL history to score 1,000 career points.

Buffalo Sabres (2020–2021)

After playing four seasons with the Wild, Staal was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on September 16, 2020. This trade happened before his final season under contract.

Montreal Canadiens (2021)

On March 26, 2021, the Buffalo Sabres traded Staal to the Montreal Canadiens.

Iowa Wild (2022)

Staal did not have an NHL team at the start of the 2021–22 season. He wanted to play for Team Canada in the 2022 Winter Olympics. So, he signed a try-out contract with the Iowa Wild of the AHL. This was a minor league team connected to his former club, the Minnesota Wild. Staal played his first AHL game in over 16 years on January 14, 2022. He scored a goal and an assist. He played 4 games with Iowa Wild before his tryout ended.

Florida Panthers and Retirement (2022–2023)

Staal did not play in the NHL during the 2021–22 season. In July 2022, Staal signed a tryout contract with the Florida Panthers. His brother Marc also joined the team. Soon after, Staal signed a one-year contract with Florida.

On July 30, 2024, Staal signed a special one-day contract with the Hurricanes. This allowed him to retire as a member of the team he played for the longest. On January 12, 2025, the Hurricanes retired Staal's number 12 jersey. His jersey joined those of other Hurricanes legends like Glen Wesley, Ron Francis, and Rod Brind’Amour.

International Play

Staal at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Medal record
Representing Canada
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Winter Games
Gold	2010 Vancouver
World Championships
Gold	2007 Moscow
Silver	2008 Halifax / Quebec City

Staal first played for Team Canada at the 2007 World Championships in Moscow. He and his younger brother Jordan won a gold medal. They beat Finland 4–2. Eric scored five goals in the tournament. One of these was the winning goal in overtime against the Czech Republic.

The next year, Staal played for Team Canada again at the 2008 World Championships in Quebec City. They won a silver medal. He scored eight goals in that tournament.

Four years after being a backup player for the 2006 Winter Olympics, Staal was chosen for the Canadian team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He played alongside stars like Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla. He scored one goal and five assists. Team Canada won the gold medal! Winning the Olympic title, along with his Stanley Cup and World Championship wins, made Staal the 23rd player to join the Triple Gold Club.

Staal was named captain of Team Canada for the 2013 World Championships in Stockholm. He got injured in the first period of the quarter-finals. Canada ended up losing that game to Sweden.

In 2022, Staal was the captain of Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They finished in sixth place.

Personal Life

Staal at the NHL Awards in 2006

Eric Staal married his longtime girlfriend, Tanya Van den Broeke, on August 3, 2007. They have three sons together. Staal is Christian.

In 2012, the Staal Brothers started the Staal Family Foundation. This organization helps improve the lives of children with cancer and their families.

Records

• Carolina Hurricanes' team record for most hat tricks in one season – 4 (2008–09)
• Carolina Hurricanes' team record for most career playoff points – 43
• Carolina Hurricanes' team record for playing the most games in a row – 349 (2004–2009)

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

Bold indicates led league

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2001	Canada	U18			5	0	0	0	7
2002	Canada	WJC18	6th		8	2	5	7	4
2007	Canada	WC			9	5	5	10	6
2008	Canada	WC			8	4	3	7	6
2010	Canada	OG			7	1	5	6	6
2013	Canada	WC	5th		8	0	3	3	4
2022	Canada	OG	6th		5	1	3	4	4
Junior totals					13	2	5	7	11
Senior totals					37	11	19	30	26

Awards and Honours

Closeup of Staal's gold medal from the 2010 Winter Olympics

See Also

• List of NHL players with 100-point seasons
• List of NHL players with 1,000 points
• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played